Reverse
Mentoring
(Red
Herring, Fortune)
If you''re like
most executives, you feel overwhelmed by technology, know that it''s important,
but rely on other people for advice about decision-making. Legendary General
Electric CEO Jack Welch faced a similar problem, but solved it using a reverse
mentoring program to teach about 1,000 GE executives about technology.
What is a
Reverse Mentoring Program?
"Reverse
mentoring" is how General Electric describes their senior management
technology training program. The process requires senior managers including
Welch to spend time learning from Internet or technology experts from within
the company. This learning includes basic Internet skills, discussing important
trends management is not aware of, and other similar activities.
How this Saves
Money
·
Make senior managers more comfortable with using new technologies so
that they can help the company take advantage of them.
Action Plan
See below for a
Reverse mentoring Checklist
Here are some steps
for starting a reverse mentoring program:
1.
Get your executives to admit they have a technology problem. This will be difficult
for many executives, but is necessary to get them to commit to the mentoring
from employees lower in the organization.
2.
Identify technology-knowledgeable employees to use as reverse mentors.
They will probably be young and low-ranking in the organization, but can teach
senior managers how to recognize technology trends. Partner one mentor with
each senior manager, and schedule regular meetings to teach them about
technology.
3.
Start mentoring basic skills like using an Internet search engine. When
executives are more comfortable with that, move to more advanced topics like
chat rooms or online shopping.
4.
Partner with executives from the high tech industry. Jack Welch and Sun
Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy have regular discussions about management,
technology, and other issues. Welch learns about the latest technology
developments from McNealy, and McNealy learns how to manage a large corporation
from Welch.
The Bottom Line
Novell CEO Eric
Schmidt states that "If you
want to understand the future, buy, rent, or manufacture a teenager."
[sic]
Want to Know More?
Check out Red
Herring''s article titled "Turning the
Tables" for more about how reverse mentoring changed
General Electric.
Fortune has an
article titled "The Odd Couple"
describing Jack Welch and Scott McNealy''s unique relationship.
Reverse Mentoring Checklist
Beginner Topics
·
Search engines (e.g. Yahoo, Google, AltaVista)
·
Web-based e-mail (e.g. Hotmail, Mail.com)
·
General News (e.g. CNN.com, Business Week)
·
Multimedia (e.g. CNN.com)
Intermediate Topics
·
Online B2C shopping (e.g. Amazon, eBay, MySimon)
·
Chat rooms (e.g. Yahoo)
·
Instant Messaging (AOL, MSN)
·
Technology News (e.g. CNet, Red Herring, Fast Company,
Business 2.0)
·
Web page design and hosting (e.g. GeoCities)
Advanced Topics
·
Web Content Personalization (e.g. My Yahoo, Moreover)
·
Business commerce (e.g. Dell)
·
Business chat rooms (e.g. BlueOvalNews.com)
·
"Free" services (e.g. Napster.com)
·
New business models (e.g. Priceline, Mobshop)
·
B2B exchanges (e.g. Covisint)
·
Wireless services like e-mail, stock trading, and custom
business applications (e.g. Palm, Handspring, Nokia, Ericksson, Motorola)
·
New technologies
·
Bluetooth
·
Java
·
XML
·
New business models
·
Application Service Providers (ASPs)
·
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
·
Supply Chain Management (SCM)
